Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has launched a murder investigation after police killed a man during civil unrest.
Six other top figures from the previous government are also under investigation following weeks of deadly riots in the capital Dhaka.
Lawyer Mamun Miya, who filed the case on behalf of a private citizen, said a Dhaka court had ordered police to accept “a murder case against the accused”.
This is the first step in a criminal investigation under Bangladeshi law.
Hasina resigned earlier this month and fled the country to neighboring India as calls for her to step down grew.
Weeks of student demonstrations, which culminated in demands against Ms Hasina, resulted in the deaths of more than 400 people. Many of them were shot by police on her orders.
In July, businessman Amir Hamza applied to file a murder case after local grocer Abu Said was shot in the head while crossing the street.
He told the court that on July 19, students staged a peaceful protest and accused police of firing indiscriminately into the crowd, BBC Bangla reported.
Hamza said he was not related to Saeed but he took the case to court because the grocer’s family did not have the financial means to sue.
“I am the first private citizen to show the courage to take legal action against Sheikh Hasina for her crimes. I will see the end of this case,” he told Reuters.
Judge Rajesh Chaudhry ordered police to investigate the case, the first against Ms Hasina since the protests began.
Former Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quaid is also under investigation.
Ms Hasina’s government, which has been in power for 15 years, has been accused of widespread human rights abuses and faced with accusations of rampant corruption.
The student protests began in early July with peaceful demands for the removal of quotas for civil service jobs, but evolved into a wider movement that toppled the government.
Ms Hasina urged police to crack down harshly on the protesters, saying they were “not students but terrorists seeking to destabilize the country”.
There are many protesters among the recently formed new government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.
Ms. Hasina Will return to China Her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said once the elections were announced.
